SOCIETY OF ARTS

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21119, 21 March 1934, Page 18

SOCIETY OF ARTS

ANNUAL EXHIBITION NOTES ON THE PICTURES !Ey JAN SIS.j lll.t FIGURE COMPOSITION For some reason pictorial figure composition is a form of art rather neglected in this country. Perhaps the difficulty of obtaining models has .something to do with this. There is even a tendency to look rather sideways at figure composition, as though any effort in that direction was bound to be either extremely feeble or faintly comic. Painters like Richard ■\Vallwork and Colin Lovell Smith, who tackle the subject seriously, are therefore bereft of the stimulus of competition. The growing interest in modern aims and ideas is leading some of the younger painters towards this form of expression, and we may hope to see more of it in coming exhibitions. In ihe present show there are only four works of importance under this heading.

In No. 159. -, 1769," Richard Wallwork has taken as his subject the first encounter between Captain Cook and the Maoris of New Zealand. An analysis cf the design shows how, pictorially, a small mass may be used to balance a large one. The side cf the ship, seen from sea-level, runs steeply up the right-hand section of the canvas and occupies perhaps one-third of the picture. This mass is broken up by the judicious placing of a gun-port and a projecting beam, and by reflected light and varying colour. The figures of Cook and of his sailors are seen from beneath. The direction of their gaze links them with the smaller mass made by the canoe and the figures of the Maoris. For these Mr Wallwork has used richer colour and. with the standing chief, has introduced a helpful vertical line. I think this figure feels short, though possibly if the point were found where the feet met the keel of the canoe, :'t would prove me to be wrong. The composition is vigorously carried througTY and is helped by Mr Wallwork's capabilities as a marine artist. Colin Lovell Smith"s "Fairy Tale is a pattern of dark on light, of warm colour on cold, and of the vertical against the horizontal. For subject matter he has used the legend of the fisherman who, by moonlight, drew up a mermaid from the sea. The vivid blue of the background is successfully carried through and the principal figure well oainted. The handling throughout is very fresh and direct, and the composition feels as though it were painted on a single impulse. Russell Clark's excellent skit. The Hedonists," has the particular type of brilliance one associates with a certain French school. It is an extremely clever and pleasant piece of satire carried out with gusto, a nice sense of humour. Mr v-iark is to be congratulated With No. 142. "The Plasterers' Scaffold " we come to the extreme left o. the second group. The figures are very much formalised and simplified. Solidity and roundness are Insisted upon, and drawing is deliberately distorte« Texture is purposely ignored. Je>sj Lloyd's canvas is interesting and arresting- but in my opinion she hao not quite bought it off. The pattern is not altogether satisfactory the axecution is too tight. and there are signs of hesitancy. I find her arfstracT painting . Summer Camp," more satisfying. The desi n comes up very nicely, and the treatment is luminous and _ consistent Though here, too. the artist has not alwavs been in complete control or hor medium. The sweep of line and gradation of tone have not the perfect austerity that this type of treatment demands. Nevertheless, it is an interesting experiment.

Still Life and Flower Pieces This vear there are some really good still lifes. Pattern and arrangement, alwavs important, are supremely so in this branch of painting. Good use has been made of the opportunities afforded bv the "aeroplane view, reflections have been made to serve as they should in linking the colour themes, and shiny and dull surfaces have been contrasted. These are all artschool axioms, no doubt; but it is well to remember them when noticing still Grace Butler has made good use of the unctuous qualities of paint in her rendering of the brass god in No. 4. This and No. 47, "Mountain Lilies," are both excellent examples of this painter's work. The delicate crispness of the lilies is especially well rendered. Stella Hudson, in "The Red Bowl, has made clever play with scarlet as her salient note of colour. The bowl and the beads are well handled. I find the rest of the colour too purplish, and consider the introduction of the little picture an error in taste; but it is a good still life, for all that. "Asters." by C. Hay Campbell, shows evidence of very careful work, but is a little confused. "The Lacquer Tray." by I. M. Copeland, is one of the best still lifes in the show. The green and red design is most satisfactory, the downward view well chosen, and the quality of the paint excellent.

D. K. Richmond has the true feeling for flower painting. All her work is good, though in this exhibition I feel some of the pieces are a little lacking in vitality. The "Ranunculus" is perhaps the best. It is carried through with delicacy and precision. The composition is nice, and the treatment of the drape exactly right. "Roses" and "Carnations," by M. O. Stoddart, are two of the most important flower pieces. They both give most eloquent proof of Miss Stoddart's loving and thoughtful appreciation of her subject. "Roses" is particularly successful. Margaret M. Whitt has attempted and achieved success in the difficult subject of wattle bloom. Jean McKay shows two notable water colours. The xoses are beautifully done with fresh and fluid colour, and are altogether delightful. A. H. O'Keefe, whose work I like much better this year, also has a study of roses. It is not possible to deal individually with all the works in this or indeed in any section. Miss E. Doust, Salome Coombs, and D. H. Jones are other exhibitors whose work will be noticed among the flower paintings. All the painters in this section belong to the first of the two groups. There are no formalised treatments of flowers or still life in the show; which is perhaps a little surprising, as these subjects have been found to lend themselves well to non-representa-tional methods. One must also note the absence, with the exception of one interesting canvas, of interiors. Evelyn Polson's "Week-end Review" is a tine piece of xvork, rich in colour and generous in design and handling. It has real depth, and is a most successful interpretation of a difficult and interesting theme. "Entrance. McDougall Art Gallery." by Jas. Fitzgerald, is conscientious and exhaustive. In my next and las: notice I shall attempt to give some idea of the landscapes in the exhibition.